Monday, October 2, 2006
Biofuels Making Progress
We're getting a new gas station in town. One of its four tanks will be for
ethanol. While that may not sound like news, to the best of my knowledge, it
will be the first gas station in CT (other than the state-owned stations for
state vehicles) that will carry ethanol. I don't say this because I've traveled
the whole state searching for ethanol, but rather I read on the
Consumer Reports website that they
couldn't find any ethanol in the state when they tested E85 vehicles.
Speaking of which, there are pros and cons to running your car on ethanol. It's
cleaner than running on straight gasoline and it's made right here in the USA.
The drawback is that cars running on E85 are less fuel efficient and the stuff
costs the same as, if not more than, regular gasoline. There's also the problem
with availability, though if the demand is there, this is a relatively easy
problem to fix.
Amazingly enough, even local companies are getting in on the act. When one
thinks of Fairfield County, hedge funds and snooty waspy types come to mind, not
biofuel companies. Devine Bioheat
and Santa Energy are blending
biodiesel in with fuel oil for homeowners. Although it costs more, eco-friendly
affluent homeowners seem to be willing to pony up the extra 25 cents/gallon for
the stuff.
I'd be tempted to go that route too but I've got electric heat so it's not an
option.
Now if only Xethanol (2011 Update: a now defunct garbage
to ethanol company) could rebound from its slump. The stock has lost 75% of its
value over the last 5+ months. But even the
garbage-to-oil folks have had their
share of non-technical problems.
\_/
DED
3 Comments:
 Mike said...How many cars actually run on ethanol? - 10/03/2006 6:15 AM
 Alan P. said...
-
Patience, timing is everything. I got news that they are starting work on a
switchgrass to biofuels program here. They said development would take 20 - 25
years. My reaction was I'm not sure we have that long. Alas, better late than
never, I guess. Garbage is the future, or the future is garbage, they can take
their pick I say.
- 10/03/2006 11:33 AM
- DED said...
-
Mike: I don't know how many cars actually run on E85. GM has been
boasting in their commercials that they've already been doing it. It's possible
that the cars that people are driving now can handle E85 and they just don't
know it. I haven't bothered to check if our cars can run on the stuff because,
as I said in the post, it's just not available here.
Mort: 20-25 years is too long, especially since E85, trash-to-E85, and
trash-to-oil are here now. I'm not saying that we shouldn't do it. Fuel cell
cars might actually be available before then. And you'd think that the
technology would be advanced enough that it could be done sooner. Otherwise, why
the hooplah in the SOTU address?
- 10/03/2006 3:55 PM
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About Me
Name: DED
Location: United States
I'm a stay-at-home Dad who survived dotcom burnout and a
chemical engineering career that fizzled. While the kids are in school,
I'm free to write stories.
I'm a rational environmentalist, science and technology enthusiast, who leans
libertarian, reads and watches sci-fi, drinks and brews beer, and listens to
metal.
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